episode_0561
by fnovelpia
-Once you get to camp, you can do whatever you want with the rest. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little noisy.
These were the words Maria spoke as we set foot on the path to the camp on the mountainside.
I tilted my head because it felt like a meaningful statement.
‘Why? Even if you clean up after work, wouldn’t it be faster if the work site is clean?’
– This area is all private property, so the police won’t patrol. There’s enough time to erase the camp itself, not just the scene. Since all signals to and from the outside have already been blocked, there’s no need to worry about cleaning it up.
‘… … .’
I am speechless at the insane scale of American cults.
A camp set up on a mountain surrounded by trees, so it’s impossible to know what’s going on inside from the outside, and the police don’t even patrol.
Aren’t we creating a completely small society?
‘The cult leader has established his own country.’
Now that I think about it, I remember the pseudo-religious groups that appear in movies and dramas and are run in a very closed manner, calling themselves communities or something.
The word community is used commonly everywhere, but if you think about it, the pseudo-community is very different in nature from an ordinary community.
So does that mean that even things that seem like they would only appear in movies have some historical accuracy?
In a capitalist society, it seems that if you have enough money, you can achieve most things you can imagine.
Even though the pseudo-science was absurd, it was true that there were certainly some interesting aspects to it.
Buy a large private property and create your own space…
‘I might buy some land in America. I could create a neighborhood where only those who know my secret can enter. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a hideout there that can only be accessed with a key.’
The only people who knew my secret were my women, with the exception of Terence, so if I created such a place, it would probably be a real-life harem.
-That sounds like a good idea. Oh, and the master’s ladies will be assisting you in this battle. So I think it would be better to proceed at a slower pace than usual to match their pace.
‘what?’
I couldn’t help but ask Maria’s unexpected question. She was an AI, so there was no way she would suffer from amnesia, so it was clear that she had already discussed this with them beforehand.
‘Why are you telling me that now?’
-I did that because I was worried that the owner would be worried.
‘Of course it’s natural to be worried.’
I don’t care, but they probably have the sensibilities of modern people. I don’t think it would have a good effect if I showed them a dirty appearance. I saved Terence, so there’s no need for them to witness the end of this.
It would have been the same even if you had just watched quietly, but you even said you would assist me.
‘I don’t want to make things awkward between us by showing a scary appearance for no reason.’
-That won’t be the case. This was something that Jeong Su-jin requested first.
‘Really? Soojin asked first?’
-Because he was directly affected by this incident when his father was kidnapped. He didn’t seem to want to just sit there and wait for his master to finish his work and come back.
I felt surprised that Jeong Su-jin was more proactive than I expected.
No matter how much damage was done, it is unlikely that modern people would easily make the decision to directly engage in this kind of revenge that involves killing and killing others.
But that doesn’t mean Maria is lying, so it must be true that Jeong Su-jin made the request first.
‘It seems that Soojin is more determined than I thought.’
– And in the holograms they’ll be watching, the enemies will be displayed simply like mannequins, so there won’t be any brutal scenes. Instead, won’t it feel like you’re playing a game?
‘That’s good. I know that you’re a real person and not a mannequin, so I won’t take it as if you’re playing a real game.’
-I will be taking on the role of coordinator in this operation.
‘okay.’
As I was talking to Maria, I arrived near the camp in no time.
The places where the path was not paved were overgrown with tree roots and grass, making it difficult to set foot properly, but compared to the forests close to primeval forests I had experienced in the central plains, this environment was more like a lawn.
As I was looking around like that, I heard a woman’s voice that wasn’t Maria’s.
It was Jeong Su-jin.
-Hello. Oh, oh, mic test.
‘Listen carefully. I heard that Soojin said you would be her assistant.’
Although other members of the group also came out, it seemed that Jeong Su-jin was the one who took charge of communicating with me on the radio to avoid congestion.
-Yeah, this is something that happened when my dad was kidnapped, and I didn’t want to just sit back and watch… I wanted to help my brother in some way, so I asked Janey. She said she’d help out too… Did I do something useless?
‘are you okay.’
Her voice was shaking shallowly, even though she had said she wanted to help first.
Of course, even though she had made up her mind, she would be nervous about actually jumping into something that looked like a military operation. It’s not like she had any prior experience in this area.
I think he thought it was okay for me to help him because the ability I showed him was so trustworthy, but I guess he wasn’t completely free from anxiety that I might get hurt if I helped him wrong.
‘Don’t worry, if you have any problems, Janie and Maria will be there to help you. I’m confident that they’ll cover up any unforeseen concerns that may arise.’
-… Okay, brother.
Fortunately, the trembling disappeared from Jeong Su-jin’s voice as she took a deep breath.
-Then let’s get started in earnest.
‘okay.’
Several flying objects appeared behind me and scattered along with Jeong Su-jin’s signal.
All of them were drone cameras to secure the field of view.
-Maybe it’s because it’s evening, but the fog is thick and the lights in the buildings inside the camp are dim. The chances of being caught are low, but our visibility isn’t perfect either.
‘That’s enough.’
At the same time, the outlines of buildings beyond the field of vision became clearer. Nanobots were working to make objects obscured by fog and darkness more clearly visible.
-Jenny said that there are no electronic devices inside the camp except for surveillance cameras and the guards’ radios.
‘This place doesn’t fit with the world these days. Should I do a digital detox?’
In order to ease Jeong Su-jin’s tension, he deliberately made a joke and moved his body. The trembling voice disappeared, but he couldn’t help but recall her stiff face.
-… Since you said that the camp’s true identity is a cult, that’s possible. It’s unlikely that they would allow their followers to have smartphones.
‘Definitely. Since we’re using the shell of a healing camp, the excuse of a digital detox does make sense.’
At that moment, a red glowing human figure appeared in the corner of my right field of vision.
It showed me the location of the guards as captured by the camera drone.
-… … .
I found it cute that Jeong Su-jin kept her mouth shut for fear of being a nuisance.
Unlike my easygoing attitude, I felt a sense of tension from her, as if one wrong step could end everything.
I also stopped joking and started moving slowly.
No matter how confident you are, if you joke around at a time like this, you might just get annoyed for no reason.
I took a deep breath and hid behind a tree near my target.
There wasn’t even the slightest tremor in my hand as I held the knife tightly.
The guard seen through the window was standing by the window with his weapon in his hand, his back turned and facing the inside of the building.
I lowered my body and carefully pushed up the window.
And then it seeped in, as if in a silent, gliding movement like a shadow.
Phew-
“!”
The guard opened his eyes wide as the blade pierced his nape, severing both his trachea and artery.
The guard opened his mouth to scream, but it was too late. He fell silently, choking on his own blood, without even a single scream.
-… I will mark the next goal.
‘okay.’
There are a total of five buildings in the camp.
First, I planned to attack the buildings on the outskirts one by one.
The targets that were clearly visible in the field of vision were mainly guards whose role was to watch over the believers.
However, that does not mean that believers were excluded from the target group. It was clear that while some believers were innocent victims, there were also quite a few who actively participated in the cult.
‘We just have to kill all the guys who attack us.’
I moved lightly like a cat and passed quietly through the hallway.
A murmur of voices could be heard from beyond the targeted door.
Unlike when I first dealt with the guard, I opened the door confidently without making a sound.
A dozen or so pairs of eyes gathered in a large space like an auditorium turned toward me.
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